


Unexpected Discoveries: Reunion

by Brumeier



Series: Unexpected Discoveries 'Verse [14]
Category: FreakyLinks (TV), Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Cute Kids, Established Relationship, Family, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Monster Hunters, One-Sided Attraction, Reunions, Sasquatch, Thunderstorms, Video Cameras
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23936599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: Though it's been off the air for three years, theMysterious Unknowncrew is called back together for a reunion organized by the network. There will be special guests, surprise guests, and some very unexpected encounters along the way as the MU gang goes in search of Utah's bigfoot!
Relationships: Amelia Banks/Ronon Dex, Carson Beckett/Laura Cadman, Jeannie Miller/Kaleb Miller, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Unexpected Discoveries 'Verse [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/332389
Comments: 10
Kudos: 50
Collections: What If? AU Challenge





	Unexpected Discoveries: Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the whatif_au anniversary challenge: reunions
> 
> For my friends in McShep! I hope you're all staying safe and healthy!

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/156598319@N08/49838818083/in/dateposted-friend/)

_Tonight on a special two-hour episode of_ Mysterious Unknown, _the team will reunite for one special investigation. Along with their families and a few special guests, Kyle and his team will undertake a hunt for their most-investigated creature: Bigfoot. It’s been five years since the team worked together. Do they still have what it takes? Tune in to find out!_

*o*o*o*

“All the exotic locations you guys have visited, and they chose Utah?”

“Are you honestly complaining about an all-expenses-paid vacation?” Rodney countered, helping Jeannie load her suitcases on the hotel cart. “Where’s your husband? He should be doing the heavy lifting, not me.”

“The kids wanted to see the pool. I just want to get upstairs and put my feet up.”

Jeannie was expecting baby number three. Rodney thought she was insane. Any more than two kids and the parents were outnumbered. Nothing good could come from shifting the power balance.

Rodney tossed the last bag on the cart. “I hope that’s everything. You packed enough for a month.”

“You know what it’s like traveling with kids.”

“Arianna fits everything into a backpack,” Rodney replied with a smug grin. She might not be his biological daughter, but she was absolutely the smartest four-year-old on the planet.

He pushed the over-full cart toward the elevator while Jeannie followed. They had a whole wing on the third floor. Kyle had wanted to rent out a house, but it wouldn’t have been big enough for all of them. Besides, the hotel had the amenities Rodney was interested in, including a four-star restaurant, a top-notch spa, and play areas for the kids. For that, he was willing to overlook the rustic décor.

“So what’s the game plan?” Jeannie asked.

“Teyla has the schedule. Evan will be filming the personal interviews, but they’ll have to work around the actual investigation. There’ll be plenty of downtime for you.”

“Do you really think there’s a Bigfoot out here?”

“I’m sure Kyle thinks so.” Rodney had never put much stock into the creature investigations, though he’d had his own close encounters a few times over the years. “The network probably picked this one to keep the costs down.”

_Mysterious Unknown_ had been off the air going on three years, but the network had planned a bunch of reunion episodes for its most popular series for Sweeps Week. It would be a two-hour special, the investigation off-set by family interviews and the crew sharing some of their favorite hunts from the past. The cost of transporting and housing all those people would’ve been prohibitive had the network chosen a more far-flung location, though reportedly the fans had wanted the MU team to return to Argentina and pick up the investigation that was cut short when Evan inadvertently killed the vampire bat. The bat that was formerly thought to be extinct.

The elevator let them out on the third floor and Jeannie led the way to the suite of rooms she’d be sharing with her family. 

“You think you’re still up to the hunt, after all this time?”

“I think I’m up to sitting on my ass monitoring cameras,” Rodney said. 

Jeannie’s phone went off just as she used her key card to get into her room. While she talked to Kaleb, Rodney wheeled in her bags and then ducked out before his sister asked him to help her unpack.

He returned to his own room to find John and Arianna sacked out on the bed. No wonder, since the trip from Malta to Utah had taken a little over eighteen hours. Jet lag didn’t bother Rodney as much, but he knew he’d be crashing soon himself. 

First things first, he booted up his laptop and pulled the camera feeds from the Atlantis site. Daniel and Jack, the retired Air Force general they’d hired several months ago to coordinate security, were in charge while Rodney and John were overseas. Most of the important artifacts were now in the newly built Atlantean Museum, but Rodney wasn’t about to stop being vigilant.

When his yawns got big enough to crack his jaw, Rodney admitted defeat and joined his family on the bed. He spooned up behind John and almost immediately fell asleep.

*o*o*o*

**Personal Interview: David Sheppard**

 _John and I were estranged for a number of years. You know how it is with families sometimes. So you can imagine how surprised I was the first time I saw him on_ Mysterious Unknown. _That’s when I became a big fan of the show. I’m not sure I believe in all the creatures they’ve investigated, but I loved the adventure of it all. John really saw the world working as a camera man, and of course that’s where he met his husband. It was Rodney that helped bring us back together and now we have a very strong relationship, for which I’m very grateful._

_I’d have to say my favorite investigation was the one in Turkey, when John had the ghostly encounter. That freaked me out as much as it did him. And then we both shared the Burning Bride experience in Canada. I’m definitely a believer!_

_Am I excited to participate in this investigation? You bet I am! It’s like a dream come true to be part of the team, and my daughters think it’s cool. If you’re a parent, you know how hard it is to impress your kids. I just hope I don’t embarrass myself._

*o*o*o*

“Babbo! Swim with me!”

John, who’d been sitting in the poolside lounge chair next to Rodney’s, wasted no time shucking both his sunglasses and his shirt. As always, Rodney’s eye was drawn to the scar across John’s ribcage, a war wound from an encounter with a maybe-mermaid.

“Duty calls!” he said and cannonballed into the pool.

The whole team was ranged around the outdoor pool, watching the kids splash and play with Ronon’s wife Amelia. Teyla was sitting on the steps in the shallow end, baby Tegan on her lap. The only one missing was Radek, who was involved with a research project in Prague that he couldn’t get away from.

“Strange, isn’t it?” Kyle asked. “Us being dads. Did you ever picture your life so domestic?”

“No.”

When Rodney had started working with Kyle on _Mysterious Unknown_ , he’d been in a dark place. But the work had been interesting, and the often-ridiculous monster investigations had been a good distraction. Then he met John and his life had a purpose again. They’d found the lost city of Atlantis! Kids had never been part of the plan, and then they met a little girl who needed a family.

John liked to say fate had stepped in. Rodney didn’t believe in fate, he believed in making the right life choices. Which he clearly had.

“You ever think of moving back?” Kyle asked.

“You’ve seen our place. Would _you_ want to live anywhere else?”

Malta was gorgeous. He and John had a villa that afforded them stunning views of the blue, blue waters of the Mediterranean, and was also adjacent to the embarkation point for the sunken city. They had their own museum, for goodness sake. But Rodney watched as Kyle’s boys climbed all over Ronon, who they considered an uncle, and he felt a little pang. If they lived in San Francisco, Arianna could have a similar relationship with Ronon and Amelia, Kyle and Teyla.

John had brought up moving a couple of times, but how could Rodney leave Atlantis?

“Everyone settling in?”

Richard Woolsey walked into the pool enclosure, a bucket hat on his head. Somehow, he managed to look just as officious in shorts and a polo shirt as he did in a three-piece suit. In all the years Rodney had worked for _Mysterious Unknown_ , he’d interacted with Richard only a handful of times. As the executive producer and network liaison, he never went out in the field.

“Richard. I did not realize you would be joining us,” Teyla said, bouncing Tegan on her knee.

“It’s a special episode, so I wanted to be on site. And the fans voted on a special guest to join you on the investigation.”

Rodney rolled his eyes. If that idiot Rock Rivers was back, he was packing up and going back to Malta. He couldn’t stand that guy. It wasn’t Rock, but Richard’s guest star was almost as bad.

“Hey, guys! Long time no see!”

“Oh, no. Not you.”

“Wait,” John said, running a hand through his wet hair. Arianna was floating on her back next to him. “Is this the guy? The Chupacabra guy?”

“Guilty as charged,” Tran said with a grin. “This is crazy, seeing you guys again! I can’t wait for the hunt!”

The rest of the team welcomed Tran back a bit more graciously than Rodney did.

“Wow! Look at all your kids!”

Rodney had no doubt Tran was still single. The kid had been a menace back in Texas and, judging by the gleam in his eye, he still liked to go where angels feared to tread. He’d quit after the Chupacabra episode, and Kyle had turned him down when he changed his mind and wanted to come back. At least he wasn’t holding a grudge.

Kyle introduced all the kids. His three boys (TJ, Christopher, Tegan), Dave and Eileen’s two girls (Erin, Caitlin), Jeannie’s kids (Madison, Michael), and Arianna.

“Kudos on the Atlantis thing, dude,” Tran said to Rodney, plopping himself down on John’s empty lounge chair. “I watched the special. That was a sick discovery!”

“Thanks,” Rodney replied. “Richard, please tell me you don’t have any more surprises.

“One more, but he won’t be here till tomorrow morning.”

It was shaping up to be the biggest investigation in MU history, just in terms of bodies on the ground. Why did it feel like a disaster in the making?

*o*o*o*

**Personal Interview: Laura Cadman**

 _It was Evan who discovered me and brought me in. I loved watching all the ghost hunter shows on TV, so I’d go out and film my own to post on YouTube. I had a Go Pro camera and a homemade EMF detector like the one Dean had on_ Supernatural. _That’s my favorite show. I’d go to cemeteries, abandoned houses, any place that had the right kind of ambience. I did research and everything._

Mysterious Unknown _was everything I’d ever wanted. I got the chance to travel and I had experiences I never would’ve imagined when I was living in Michigan. I loved everything. Except the leeches. Somehow I always managed to get the damn things stuck to me when we went anywhere remotely moist. I can deal with snakes, spiders, that kind of thing. But leeches? No. Hell no._

_My favorite investigation? I’d have to say the one we did at Silverwood House. Probably the creepiest ghost investigation we ever went one. I don’t think they ended up airing that one, because we didn’t get very far into things and there wasn’t enough footage. But that one really freaked me out._

_Since the series ended, I’ve been working on ghost investigations with_ Disturbances. _My new team is great, but there’s just something special about the MU team. I love these people and we get together as often as possible._

*o*o*o*

They held a council of war over breakfast, map anchored to the table with plates of waffles and omelets from the buffet. The MU team was no stranger to a Bigfoot hunt. That particular type of creature story was common in all parts of the world, and in the past they’d done hunts in the Adirondacks of New York, the Himalayas, and Indonesia. Now they could add Utah to the list.

Rodney made sure to fill up on breakfast. Once the investigation got underway there wouldn’t be any breaks for food. Luckily he’d had the forethought to stock up on Power Bars.

Richard’s second mystery guest arrived just as they were wrapping up their investigation plans. He was really scraping the bottom of the barrel, in Rodney’s opinion.

“The Loch Ness guy?”

“Aye, and thank you for having me back. Dr. Carson Beckett, if you’ve forgotten.”

John, Evan, and Kyle greeted the Scottish doctor with the hearty good cheer of men who’d faced certain death together. In that particular case, it was an encounter with Nessie and an icy plunge into the loch. That had been the same night John and Rodney had gotten engaged.

“We’ll have three teams in the field, with Rodney manning base camp,” Kyle said. “John, you and your brother will be with me. Evan, you and Ronon will have Tran. Laura, it’ll be you and Carson.”

The plan was for the team to drive up into the mountains to the spot where the Bigfoot had been recently spotted, and then follow the likely paths it might’ve taken from there. The way Rodney saw it, things could go one of two ways. First, with the extra team in the mix they could cover more ground and maybe find something. Second, with so many extra bodies tromping around the mountain, they’d scare off the very thing they were looking for.

Rodney didn’t think they’d find anything. He knew very well that Bigfoot was in Nepal.

“I can come?” Arianna asked as Rodney and John packed their overnight bags.

“You don’t want to come with us, _il mio Tesoro_ ,” John said. “It’s boring grown-up stuff. You’ll have more fun staying here with Maddie and Mikey.”

Arianna pouted. Even though she was adopted, Rodney was struck sometimes by her resemblance to John. He scooped her up and stood her on the bed so they were more eye-to-eye.

“You have your own mission,” Rodney said. “Can I count on you?”

Arianna nodded enthusiastically. She was goal oriented, just like Rodney. He’d taken the opportunity of planning ahead, because he knew she didn’t like being apart from them. Amelia, who was helping watch the kids, had been fully briefed, as had the hotel staff.

“I hid an artefact somewhere in the hotel. You have to work together with your cousins and the other kids to find it.” Rodney pulled out his phone. “Here. Look.”

He pulled up a picture of an ornately carved wooden box. It was a reproduction of the remains of an actual artefact recovered from Atlantis. Amelia would provide the first clue once they’d left.

“What’s inside?”

“Candy.”

Arianna’s whole face lit up. “I have to share it?”

“Yes,” John said sternly. “The whole team works together, and the whole teams shares the treasure.”

Amelia took charge of Arianna as John and Rodney headed down to the lobby to meet up with the rest of the investigative team. Rodney felt bad leaving his little girl behind, even though he knew she was in good hands and would be able to keep herself busy with the candy search. 

“She’ll be fine,” John said, correctly reading Rodney’s mood.

“This is a stupid reason for abandoning our daughter.”

“We’re not abandoning her. She’s spending time with her extended family.”

It was a sound argument, but it didn’t make Rodney feel any better. His already bad mood darkened even more when the elevator let them out in the lobby and right in the middle of what looked like an angry confrontation between Kyle and that blogger kid, Derek.

“…time for this right now!” Kyle snapped.

“Dude, you can’t sweep this under the rug. I have the test results.”

Rodney sidled next to Laura, who was watching the exchange with wide eyes. “What’s going on? Why is the stoner kid here?”

“Stoner kid says he’s Kyle’s half-brother,” Laura murmured.

“Whoa,” John said.

Rodney nodded. “That explains a lot, actually.”

Derek was a blogger who ran his own – highly amateur – supernatural investigations. He’d joined the MU team a time or two, Kyle taking him under his wing as a protégé. And then something happened that Kyle never talked about and the two had a falling out, competing on similar investigations instead of working together.

“My father loved my mother!” Kyle said heatedly. 

“This is intense,” Tran said. 

“We should get ready to step in,” Ronon suggested. “Before Kyle flattens that guy.”

“He loved my mom, too,” Derek said.

John shifted behind Rodney. “We should give them some privacy.”

“Agreed,” said Carson. 

No-one moved.

“Look, man. I’m not telling you how to feel about this. But you’re the only family I have left, and I’m not willing to just walk away from that.”

Kyle was the one who walked away, Derek trailing after him. When they started talking again they were too far away for Rodney to hear. He looked at his watch.

“We’re going to be late for the Bigfoot guy.”

“Do _you_ want to tell him to hurry up?” Evan asked.

John got everyone moving, suggesting they start loading up the trucks with the equipment. Rodney hadn’t missed lugging around the heavy black cases, that was for sure.

Richard had rented two big SUVs for them to use and, in true MU fashion, they looked dodgy at best. It had become a running joke, the team getting the worst vehicles no matter where in the world they were. Rodney had changed tires, jumped batteries, and pushed vehicles to the sides of roads in countless countries.

“Just once,” he said. “Just once I’d love a new vehicle instead of a jalopy.”

“It would hardly be an MU investigation without one,” Dave replied cheerily. He was dressed like he was going on safari.

They had to wait another fifteen minutes for Kyle, and when he finally came back his eyes were red, and he wasn’t alone.

“Derek’s joining us, guys.”

Rodney rolled his eyes. The investigation was turning into a circus. 

“Clear blue skies,” John said. He pressed a quick kiss to the side of Rodney’s head.

It was going to be a long day.

*o*o*o*

**Personal Interview: Teyla Emmagan Dorsey**

 _Kyle and I met on an archaeological dig in Palestine. I was a student and he was searching for some meaning in his life. When he pitched the idea for_ Mysterious Unknown _I knew I wanted to be part of it. It was fun and different and gave us the opportunity to travel the globe. In the early days I would go with him, acting as an on-site producer. I would help procure transportation, lodging, food._

_When I became pregnant with our first child, I stopped going out in the field. Partly because I was no longer up to the physicality and partly because Kyle worried I would catch a bug overseas that would hurt me or the baby. I stayed involved as case manager, coordinating the investigations. I conducted the initial research and made arrangements with local guides, interpreters, and experts._

_The people who worked on the show became a family to Kyle and me. Many of the investigations were dangerous due to location or native wildlife or politics, and there had to be a lot of trust. You had to know the person next to you would take care of you. That is a strong bond._

_I am not involved with Kyle’s new series_ , Wonders of History, _except to sometimes travel with him when it is appropriate and safe to do so because we bring the boys. This reunion is a wonderful way for us to be together with our friends and their families, and I am very grateful to the network for putting it together._

*o*o*o*

The team traveled through Provo, mountains rising dramatically to the east and Utah Lake glittering to the west, to meet their contact from the North America Bigfoot Search. He’d insisted on conducting his interview at the Life Science Museum on the Brigham Young University campus.

“You know, I never really appreciated how many men are on this team,” Laura said as they disembarked from the SUVs. “It’s not easy being the only woman.”

“You make it look easy, lass,” Carson said admiringly. Rodney remembered how he’d made goo-goo eyes at Laura during the Loch Ness investigation.

“Clearly you’ve never seen her with leeches,” Evan said. “Never saw anyone get out of their clothes so fast in my life. And I grew up with hippies.”

Rodney snorted. “’Off! Off! Off!’” he yelled in a falsetto impersonation of Laura’s blind panic.

“Fuck both of you,” Laura replied, blushing. “Or shall I recount the time Rodney walked through the giant spiderweb? I’m not the only one who can scream like a girl.”

“Let’s all be nice, children,” John said. In Rodney’s ear he whispered, “Monkey webs.”

Rodney fought back a grin. “I hate all of you.”

The museum was free to the public. Kyle led the team to the second floor, which was home to a display on apex predators. There were several people wandering around looking at the tableaus of taxidermized animals, but Rodney easily identified their contact. The man looked exactly like a professional Bigfoot hunter should look: bushy beard, denim vest, goofy hat. He was studying a cheetah standing on a fake tree branch, which was draped with the body of an antelope.

“Dr. Garliss?” Kyle held out his hand. “Kyle Dorsey. Thanks so much for meeting us.”

John filmed the meeting, while Evan got some establishing shots of the displays. Rodney didn’t pay attention to either of them, or even what Kyle was saying. All the Bigfoot stuff was so much blah, blah, blah to him as he studied Dr. Garliss. There was something familiar about him that Rodney couldn’t put his finger on. Surely he’d have remembered someone with such a prominent nose.

“Do we know him?” he asked Laura.

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. We didn’t work with NABS on the American Bigfoot hunt.”

“Okay, gang,” Kyle said, wrapping up the interview portion of the day. “Dr. Garliss is going to join us on the hunt. We’re lucky to have his expertise on this one.”

That was new. In all the time Rodney worked on MU, the expert never became part of the investigation. They provided creature background, that was all. He was immediately suspicious.

“The more the merrier,” Ronon said, but Rodney could tell he was suspicious too.

Kyle introduced Garliss around. When he got to Rodney, Garliss held his hand longer than necessary. “You can call me Anton,” he said in a slow drawl.

“You can call me Dr. McKay,” Rodney replied, yanking his hand back.

“So this is new, right?” Dave asked. “Him coming along?”

“Very new.”

“He’s like a caricature.”

Rodney gave Dave an appreciative look. “Yeah. He is.”

Next they’d be plucking random people off the street. The investigation had barely gotten started and it was already going off the rails.

“Let’s load up, gang,” Kyle said. “Garliss, you can ride with me.”

“We need to keep an eye on this one,” Ronon muttered to Rodney, who nodded his agreement.

“Yes. We do.”

*o*o*o*

**Personal Interview: Jeannie McKay Miller**

_My brother isn’t kidding when he calls himself a genius. At one time he was the top mind in astrophysics and he had a large part in some amazing innovations. I didn’t see much of him because he was like a mole person who never came out of his lab. And then he got screwed over and for a while I was really worried about him. He was in a bad emotional place._

_Finding_ Mysterious Unknown _was the best thing that could’ve happened to Mer. It got him out of his own head and back out in the world. He was more accessible to his family, and even when he wasn’t, we could watch the show and see all the crazy, scary things he was getting up to._

_If not for this show, Mer never would’ve met John. He might never have discovered the lost city of Atlantis. He’s happier and more settled than I’ve ever seen him, and it’s thanks to Kyle and Teyla and the rest of the team that gave my brother a new home._

*o*o*o*

They drove up into the mountains and then wasted a lot of time waiting around for the eyewitness who saw the Bigfoot during the recent sightings. Evan got a lot of scenic footage, and Kyle consulted the map with Derek to see if he could find a spot to serve as a good base camp.

“This is the part you don’t see on the show,” John explained to his brother. “We have a lot of downtime as we wait for interviews, or we do recon on the locations where we want to set up an investigation.”

“How much longer do we wait on this guy?” Laura asked. “It’s hot out here.”

Kyle gave the eyewitness a full half hour before throwing up his hands in defeat. “Okay, let’s bust out the gear. We’ll go the rest of the way on foot. There’s a small clearing we can set up in, but it’s going to take some time to get there.”

A flurry of activity ensued as the SUVs were unloaded. POV camera rigs were strapped on – Dave’s excitement to get one himself would be killed by the end of the day, Rodney was sure – backpacks filled with climbing gear, foodstuffs, and casting materials were slung over shoulders, and communication radios were affixed to ears. Evan passed around the hand cameras, EMF detectors were distributed to each of the three teams, Kyle hooked the FLIR thermal imaging camera to his vest, and everyone picked up an equipment case to transport up the mountain.

“This is where the eyewitness saw the Bigfoot,” Kyle said for the benefit of the cameras. “We’ll follow his path farther up into the mountains and see if we can find the lair of the beast.”

It was classic dramatic Kyle, but instead of rolling his eyes, Rodney had to fight back a grin. He’d deny it if anyone ever asked, but he’d actually kind of missed setting out on a new investigation. It was familiar, like slipping on an old cardigan. And they hadn’t all ended in disaster.

One thing he didn’t miss was hiking through the woods weighted down with gear. He’d obviously been spending too much time sitting at a desk, cataloguing artefacts; he quickly fell behind the others. Well, most of the others.

“Is this a typical investigation for your group?” Garliss asked, falling into step with Rodney. 

“Yes.”

The stunning views of Provo were lost as they moved into the Uinta forest, pine trees and aspens closing in on every side. The MU team had spent the majority of their time in forests and jungles, where visibility was low and anything could be hiding. 

“Interesting, isn’t it? The longevity of the Bigfoot myth.”

Rodney gave Garliss a side-eyed look. “That’s more your area of expertise than mine.”

“But you’re part of it, aren’t you? Drawn to the search for the unknown, the undiscovered. Why do you do it?”

Rodney’s first response, as always, was to deny everything. There had always been a sense of embarrassment that came with working on MU, because they were running around in the dark chasing monsters and ghosts. But Rodney had seen things, experienced things, and he knew not all of it was bullshit.

“Who wouldn’t want to discover something the world has never seen before?” Rodney countered Garliss’ question with one of his own.

“Not everyone has that drive. Yet you believed enough in a mythological city to find it. What motivates you?”

“You know who likes to talk about himself? Kyle. You should throw all your questions at him.”

Rodney’s attempts to foist Garliss off on someone else failed. For whatever reason, he only seemed interested in talking to Rodney. He’d hoped John would come to his rescue, but instead his husband was talking to Dave about things to watch out for on the sorry excuse for a trail they were following.

The equipment bags seemed to grow heavier with every step. By the time they got to the clearing Kyle wanted to use as base camp, Rodney’s shoulders were screaming. 

“Tell me again why we couldn’t use ATVs?” he asked Kyle, who just waved him off.

“Let’s get set up, guys.”

The procedure was very familiar to Rodney. Perimeter sensors that would send up an alert if anything sizeable moved past them, trap cameras that would snap a photo if they detected movement, and IR cameras set closest to base camp, which was the center of the bullseye, that would constantly film and hopefully capture something interesting.

There was a thrum of excitement that was almost palpable, and it was clear even to Rodney how happy everyone was to be there. He even caught himself humming under his breath as he got his monitors set up, pulling up feeds from the four IR cameras and the handhelds each team would be using in the field.

“You miss it,” John said, grinning at Rodney.

“No I don’t.” But he still pulled John in for an enthusiastic kiss.

*o*o*o*

**POV Camera: Carson Beckett/Camera Three: Laura Cadman**

“Keep your ears open,” Laura said in a hushed voice. “Bigfoot is supposed to make grunting noises. Isn’t that right, Dr. Garliss?”

“It sure enough is,” Dr. Garliss drawled in reply. “And stinks like skunk cabbage.”

“This is my first trip to the States,” Carson whispered. “Verra exciting.”

“Hopefully not as dangerous as Loch Ness,” Laura replied.

“Aye. That was terrifying. I’m quite famous back home because of that.”

“Doctor and Nessie survivor?”

Laura and Carson, who were walking almost shoulder to shoulder, exchanged a grin.

“Is it dangerous for Dr. McKay?” Dr. Garliss asked. “He’s the only one of us out there alone.”

“Surely he’s in no danger from the Bigfoot,” Carson said. “They’re quite skittish creatures, or so I’ve read.”

“There are wolves. And mountain lions,” Dr. Garliss said.

“You don’t have to worry about Rodney,” Laura said. “He knows how to take care of himself. He once tased a coyote in the head.”

“That’s good to know.”

*o*o*o*

**Personal Interview: Evan Lorne**

_Kyle recruited me at an art show, actually. I’m US Air Force Reserves, and I was filling up my free time painting and trying my hand at some different media forms, including short films I was putting up online. Teyla had purchased one of my more whimsical paintings, and I guess she Googled me and found the films._

_I had a little showing at a gallery in Union Square and there was Kyle, chatting me up about my experience filming and asking if I might be interested in working on his new show. I grew up on a commune, so I think I’m maybe a bit more open-minded when it comes to the other-worldly. It seemed like fun, and it was._

_Traveling around with_ Mysterious Unknown _was a blast! The best moments were the ones that never made it on film. Long train rides playing cards or dice. Sleeping on floors, or squeezed into corners, or on top of equipment boxes. Going to bars all over the world and making unexpected friends with the locals. Trying to explain to airport officials why we had a case of night vision goggles. It was an amazing experience._

_Since the show ended, I’ve been teaching art at an elementary school in San Francisco, and that’s been rewarding in a completely different way. I’ve really missed working with these people, though, and I’m thankful to get a chance to do it one more time._

*o*o*o*

“Can someone check camera two?” Rodney asked over the radio. “I’m getting something weird there.”

 _Bigfoot weird? Or tiny bug weird?_ Laura asked.

_Maybe it’s a tiny Bigfoot_ , John said.

“You’re all hilarious. Don’t give up your day jobs.”

_We’re closest. Hold tight_. Laura said.

Garliss had gone with Laura and Carson, to better even out the teams. He didn’t seem to be offering much, considering he was a so-called expert. And then Garliss tripped and fell into Laura, and both of them went down. 

“Hey! My camera!”

_You all right, lassie?_

_I’m okay, but Dr. Garliss hit his head. Ronon! Can you meet us at camera two? Anton took a tumble._

That was all they needed.

_On my way._

_I am a doctor, you know_ , Carson protested.

_Yeah, but this is what they pay Ronon the big bucks for._

Ronon was their team medic, a fully licensed practical nurse. Most of the injuries associated with the show were minor, thankfully – bumps, bruises, insect bites. The two worst ones were Tran’s Chupacabra bite and that time Evan inadvertently swam into a bloom of jellyfish.

It seemed inevitable that Garliss ended up at base camp with Rodney, a bandaid covering a small gash in his forehead. Ronon gave Rodney a significant look before he rejoined Evan and Tran.

“So clumsy of me,” Garliss said apologetically. “Walking around in the dark and looking for tracks is harder than I thought it would be.”

“Well, put yourself to good use and help me keep an eye on these monitors,” Rodney said. He packed up Laura’s handheld camera, which she switched up for a POV. “If you see anything unusual, let me know.”

Rodney had a camp chair, but Garliss was sitting on an equipment box he’d dragged over. A little too close for comfort, the way he kept leaning in. Seriously, did the man have no sense of personal space?

“Is it difficult being away from the Lost City?” Garliss asked. “All your treasures?”

“The site and the museum are both heavily guarded.”

State of the art security, which Rodney had refused to skimp on. Atlantis was the most amazing find of recent history, and he wasn’t going to let any of it slip out of his hands. He doubted a Bigfoot hunter would be interested in a heist in Malta, but better safe than sorry.

“Have you thought about what you’ll be doing next?” Garliss asked, and for just a moment his southern drawl seemed to slip.

Rodney was starting to have a bad feeling. 

“John, can I get an audio check?”

_Check, check_ , John said obligingly. He turned the camera around, putting his face in extreme close-up. _Everything okay?_

“Fine. Thanks.” 

“Do I make you uncomfortable, Dr. McKay?” Garliss asked. 

“No,” Rodney lied. He didn’t know what it was about Garliss, but something had felt off about him right from the start.

Was he some kind of thief, trying to work an angle before going to Malta? Or maybe he was a crazy fan in disguise to be on the show. But then why stick himself at base camp instead of doing the more fun hunting part of the investigation?

_Kyle to base camp._

“Go for base camp.”

_I’m hearing some thunder. We might be in for a storm._

That was all they needed. “I’ll get out the tarps. Didn’t anyone check the weather?”

_There was nothing in the forecast about rain._

Rodney rummaged through the equipment bags until he found the one with the tarps. It wouldn’t be the first time an investigation had gotten caught out in bad weather. Now that he was listening for it, Rodney could hear the thunder too. The wind also started picking up.

“Not a good idea, being caught in an electrical storm surrounded by electronics,” Garliss said.

“It’s not ideal, obviously. We can pack it up pretty quickly if we need to.”

Rodney tried to remember if there was any place to take shelter along the trail they’d taken to base camp. As the thunder rumbled, much louder than before, he wished he’d paid closer attention.

*o*o*o*

**POV Camera: Dave Sheppard/Camera One: John Sheppard**

“This is creepy,” Dave said. “It’s so dark. What are we supposed to be looking for?”

“Our best bet is footprints,” Kyle replied over his shoulder. “Presumably this thing can move through the trees and the undergrowth without leaving a trail.”

“Maybe we’ll find a really good print, like you guys did in Nepal.”

“Viva Nepal,” John chuckled softly.

“You picking up anything on the FLIR?” Derek asked. 

“Nothing substantial.”

“I really appreciate you letting me tag along, man.” Derek clapped Kyle on the shoulder.

“We can always use an extra set of eyes,” Kyle replied.

“You worried about this thunder?” John asked.

Dave turned around to look at him.

“Just stay vigilant. It might not move this way, and I don’t want to cut the investigation short.”

“Yeah,” Derek added. “And I don’t wanna be surrounded by trees during a lightning storm.”

Dave looked directly into the POV camera. “Why do I suddenly feel like I’m wearing a lightning rod?”

“Don’t worry, little brother,” John said. “It’s not gonna be Utah that does us in.”

“Wait!” Kyle hissed, stopping. “Did you hear that?”

“What?” Derek whispered.

Dave turned his head back and forth, eyes wide.

“I swear I heard something moving through the trees over there.” Kyle gestured off to the left, and then pulled the FLIR off his vest again. “Nothing. I don’t…There!”

He took off at a run, the others following behind.

“This is the best day of my life!” Dave gasped.

*o*o*o*

**Personal Interview: Tran Nguyen**

 _I was already a big fan of_ Mysterious Unknown _when I saw on their website they were looking for a second camera operator. I sent in my resume, went in for a couple of interviews, and was lucky enough to get the job. I was so stoked!_

_And then I tanked it all on my very first investigation. I’m still not sure what it was that attacked me – it absolutely could’ve been a Chupacabra – but I still have scars on my legs. I left the show after that, because I wasn’t sure I could keep working. Plus, Rodney was pretty mad about the camera and he can be even scarier than a goat sucker. (Don’t tell him I said that.)_

_After MU, I worked on_ Haunted California, Cryptid Crew, _and_ Making a Monster. _Right now I’m putting together my own reality show about immigrant superstitions in America._

_I was really glad they asked me to come back for this special episode. Maybe now I won’t be known as just the Chupacabra guy._

*o*o*o*

**POV Camera: Tran Nguyen/Camera Two: Evan Lorne**

“This is just like old times!” Tran said, grinning.

Ronon made a noise in the back of his throat. “Try not to get chewed on this time.”

“Come on, guys. That was one time! Have you seen my other shows? I’m pretty badass.”

A loud rumble of thunder made Tran jump.

“Gonna rain,” Ronon said.

“I hate a wet investigation,” Evan sighed. “Did we bring any rain gear?”

“Nope.”

“You guys scared of a little rain?” Tran teased.

“I don’t –” Evan started to say, and then he gagged. “What the hell is that smell?”

Tran clapped a hand over his own nose. “That’s foul!”

Ronon frowned and turned slowly in a circle. “Can’t tell where it’s coming from.”

“I’m gonna hurl,” Tran said. “Seriously.”

There was another rumble of thunder, and then the skies opened up in a deluge of rain.

“The camera!” Evan fumbled in his pockets for the plastic camera cover, which he wrapped around his camera. “We need to get out of here.”

“Ronon to base camp. Come in base camp.” Ronon looked at Evan, an enigmatic expression on his face. “Base camp, do you copy? McKay! Do you copy?”

There was no answer.

*o*o*o*

**Personal Interview: Ronon Dex**

 _I was working as a nurse, doing rotations in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. It was good work. Important work. But working with people at the end of their life spans can be emotionally draining. When I started feeling burnt out, I looked around for something else. That’s when I saw that_ Mysterious Unknown _was looking for a staff medic._

_Kyle’s a good guy. Everyone on the team is. You muck around in jungles in the dark with people, it bonds you. Trial by fire. My work on MU fulfilled something in me. The travel, the danger, the sheer absurdity of some of the things we did. It was a great time._

_Favorite investigation? Vampire bat, hands down. I’ll never forget Evan knocking that thing into a tree with the camera._

_I’ve been doing search and rescue since the show ended. I had extensive SAR training and trained with the Mountain Rescue Association. The skills I learned working with the MU team definitely helped propel me forward into this new career._

_These people are my family. Always will be._

*o*o*o*

Rodney was soaked to the bone, but he’d saved most of the equipment. The trap cameras would be fine in the elements. The IR cameras would not, and one of them shorted out before Garliss could help Rodney collect them all. It wasn’t great, but Rodney wasn’t as invested in the MU tech as he used to be. The bigger problem was that he’d somehow lost his earpiece and had no way to contact his team.

“We need to head back to the cars!” he shouted over the roar of the rain and the loud cracking of the thunder.

“Too far!” Garliss shouted back. “I know a place! Follow me!”

Rodney didn’t think, just followed. Staying out in the storm was a stupid idea, especially in the middle of a forest, and if he was going to die it sure as hell wasn’t going to be in Utah.

They headed north of base camp, the rain coming down so hard it was almost impossible to see. Rodney hoped everyone else found some cover, especially John. He hated not being able to contact him. He’d already tried his cell phone, but either there was no service on the mountain, or the heavy rain was obscuring it.

Garliss’ place was a deep, rocky overhang that was almost a cave. It was thankfully dry back against the rock wall, and Rodney tried to wring the water out of the hem of his shirt.

“I don’t know what I was thinking. This stupid crap always happened to us and I don’t miss it at all.”

“All part of the fun, Dr. McKay,” Garliss said cheerfully.

The retort on Rodney’s lips died when he looked up. “What the hell happened to you?”

It looked like Garliss had a gash on his nose, but as Rodney watched the whole nose slipped a little, like it was in danger of falling off. It was gross and disconcerting, until he realized the nose was a prosthetic.

Rodney reached over and pulled, and Garliss’ nose came off in his hand.

“Well,” Garliss said. “That’s unfortunate.”

The southern drawl was fake, too, because it was completely gone and replaced by something that sounded ever so faintly British.

“Who the hell are you?” Rodney demanded. “I knew there was something off about you!”

“I’ll be glad to be rid of this, I must admit,” Garliss said. He peeled off his bushy beard. 

The light wasn’t great, what with Rodney’s headlamp and Garliss’ flashlight, which was pointed down at the ground, but the man looked familiar. Rodney just couldn’t place him.

“Do I know you?”

“We had a very brief moment in a moonlit wadi,” Garliss said.

A moonlit wadi?

_Just keeping an eye on things here in the valley._

Rodney snapped his fingers. “Valley of the Kings! The afreet! You said you were with the SCA, but you lied. Apparently, that’s pathological with you.”

Garliss shrugged. “I have a bit of harmless fun with the playacting. Anthony Bliss-Tregarth, if you’ve forgotten.”

Of course Rodney had forgotten. How could he be expected to remember the name of a man he’d met briefly years ago? He remembered his initial suspicions about the man all too well, though.

“You robbed the tomb.”

“That’s one possibility.”

“And now you’re hanging around trying to find a weak spot so you can rob Atlantis, too!” Rodney accused.

Garliss…Anthony…grinned. “I’ll admit the thought had crossed my mind. I even took a job on your salvage crew. Your security is lacking in several major areas, by the way. Did you know your Dr. Jackson is sweet on the military man?”

Rodney sputtered angrily, speechless. What the hell was Anthony playing at? Rodney knew for a fact nothing had gone missing. At least nothing that had already been brought up and catalogued. Had Anthony stolen something directly from Atlantis?

“I didn’t take anything,” Anthony said, holding his hands up placatingly. “Though it would’ve been simple enough to manage.”

“So why didn’t you?”

“The men in my family have an unfortunate tendency to covet what isn’t theirs. And I covet you.”

Rodney had no idea what to say to that outlandish statement. _Where the hell are you, John?_

*o*o*o*

**Personal Interview: John Sheppard**

 _When I got out of the Air Force, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. It was a big transition for me. A friend of mine told me a reality show was looking for a camera man and suggested I go out for it, so I did. I’d never seen_ Mysterious Unknown _but it seemed like a fun way to pass the time until I figured out what I really wanted to do. And it was! I got to travel to places I’d never been and try new things every time we arrived in a new city or village._

_I hadn’t expected to find a second family. Everyone was so nice to me, right from day one. Well, except for Rodney. But he obviously warmed up to me. During my time with the show I got to scuba dive old shipwrecks and have a really creepy ghostly encounter in Turkey. My favorite investigation? Nepal. Hands down._

_Because of MU I got married, I reconnected with my brother and my father, and I helped find the Lost City of Atlantis. Pretty crazy, right?_

_I owe Kyle and_ Mysterious Unknown _everything._

*o*o*o*

**POV Camera: David Sheppard/Camera One: John Sheppard**

“We need to get out of this rain!” Kyle shouted, the water on the camera lens blurring him out a little.

“Open to suggestion!” John shouted back.

Dave, his face liberally spattered with mud, said, “We need to find a thick cluster of trees!”

Kyle turned to stare at him.

“It’s safer,” Dave insisted. “Trust me. I’ve been to two Girl Scout Jamborees. A cluster is better than a single tree. Once we find it, we get low and stay low.”

Kyle rubbed a hand over his face. “Okay. Let’s look around for a cluster of trees. Kyle to base camp. We’re going to ride out the storm where we are and try to avoid getting fried by lightning. Base camp. Do you copy?”

“John?” Dave asked, brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“Rodney’s not responding. John to base camp. Rodney! Can you hear me?”

Kyle pulled out his cell phone, hunching over it to try and protect it from the rain as much as possible. He shook his head.

“No bars.”

The handheld camera jostled and swung around, showing John instead of Kyle.

“John, he probably just lost his earpiece,” Kyle said.

“Dave, stay with Kyle. Do your Girl Scout thing, and when the storm moves off head back to base camp.”

Dave reached out a hand and grabbed hold of John’s arm. “What are you doing?”

“Something stupid, probably.”

John clapped Dave on the shoulder and headed back in the direction of base camp as fast as he could with the slippery ground conditions.

“Stay away from open areas!” Dave shouted. He looked back at Kyle, concern clearly etched on his face.

“He’ll be okay. Let’s find that cluster and settle in. You’ve got the lead, Den Mother.”

*o*o*o*

**Personal Interview: Dr. Carson Beckett**

 _My mother and I were big fans of_ Mysterious Unknown _long before Mrs. Dorsey contacted me to be part of their Nessie investigation. I’ve a well-known blog about our wee creature and have gone Nessie-spotting many times with other groups. It was an honor to get to join Kyle and the others, right in the thick of things._

_If you’ve seen that episode, you know we had quite the encounter with Nessie. I’ve never experienced such a thing in my life. It was terrifying and amazing, all at once. When that aired in Scotland I became an instant celebrity. People come from all over the world to try and have their own Nessie encounter, and they always ask me to talk about mine._

_My mother, who has since passed on, God rest her, was tickled by all the attention._ Mysterious Unknown _brought her great joy and I know the same to be true for others. Being asked to be part of the reunion special was a dream come true! I’m going to make quite the adventure of it, traveling around the US for a bit before I go back home._

*o*o*o*

**POV Camera: Carson Beckett/POV Camera: Laura Cadman**

“Why do I always get soaked on this show?” Carson lamented.

“It’s the good old MU luck,” Laura replied. “I swear I saw that cave right around here.”

Carson rubbed his hand over his face. “I dinna know how you can see anything in this, lass.”

“Stop distracting me with your sexy Scottish thing. There! I see it!”

Laura started running but slipped and almost fell.

“Slow and steady,” Carson advised.

They ducked into the mouth of the cave and turned on their flashlights. Almost immediately their eyes widened, and Carson’s mouth fell open. There were muffled grunting sounds.

“Was that…?”

Laura grimaced. “Why didn’t I keep the other camera? Damn! Kyle’s gonna kill me.”

“I’ve not smelled anything that pungent in my life,” Carson said. “It’s making my eyes water. Should we follow it?”

“And do what? Wrestle it to the ground? Besides, it’s probably a bear and I don’t want it eating my face. He can have the deeper part of the cave.”

Laura didn’t look like she believed her own words.

“Would this be a bad time to double back to that sexy Scottish comment?” Carson asked.

*o*o*o*

“I’m a happily married man,” Rodney said, trying to keep as much distance between himself and Anthony as possible.

“Every marriage has its fault lines.”

Rodney knew no marriage was perfect, not even his. He and John had plenty of disagreements. But, while it was weirdly flattering that Anthony had gone to so much trouble to get close to him, Rodney wasn’t the least bit interested in any man but John. He had the life he’d never let himself dream about – an amazing career, a man who loved him, a daughter who would hopefully be the best of both of them one day – and he wasn’t stupid enough to do anything to risk that.

“We work through our problems. Like adult people are supposed to.”

“Pity that,” Anthony said. “I think I’d find you to be a very exciting challenge, Dr. McKay.”

“You stay away from me. You stay away from my family.” Rodney jabbed his finger in Anthony’s direction. “And you especially stay away from my sunken city. I won’t forget your name this time, and I won’t hesitate to call the authorities.”

“I’d call you remembering my name a win.” 

Rodney glanced out the front of the overhang, wondering if he should try for the cars after all. The rain had lessened significantly, and he realized the thunder was down to a faint rumble.

“Storm’s passing,” Anthony said.

Rodney jumped. How had the guy gotten so close so quickly? Anthony held out his hand, an earpiece resting in the center of his palm. Rodney’s no doubt, but when he tried to snatch it up Anthony closed his fingers around Rodney’s hand. His thumb swept over Rodney’s knuckles once before he let go.

“Good luck.”

With those enigmatic parting words, Anthony ducked out of the shelter provided by the overhang and disappeared into the night. Not unlike the afreet he’d once pretended to be. Rodney wasted no time popping the earpiece in.

“Base camp to John.”

_Where the hell are you?_

“On my way back to base camp. Where are you?”

_Almost there myself. You okay?_

“Just wet.”

The rain slowed to a mist as Rodney made his way back to base camp. He hated having wet shoes, his feet squelching with every step. All he could think about was getting in the hot tub back at the hotel and forgetting the entire day had ever happened.

John was waiting for him when he got back to base camp, lounging on the equipment boxes. The tarps were still covering everything, so hopefully the equipment was still in good shape.

Before Rodney could even formulate his first question, John was in his personal space, kissing him. Rodney melted into it, feeling the chill recede just a little. No-one, not even a handsome if duplicitous Brit, could be better for Rodney than the man in his arms.

“Where’s Garliss?” John asked, breaking the kiss but not letting go. “You drop him off a cliff?”

For a moment Rodney considered not telling John what had happened. In the end, the truth was more important to their relationship than anyone feeling uncomfortable.

“He swiped my earpiece and hit on me. Oh, and he’s not Garliss. He’s that joker from Egypt who said he was from the SCA and then wasn’t.”

Anthony Bliss-Tregarth. Rodney would make sure his name was given to the local authorities in Malta as well as his own staff. No sense sending a picture since the only ones they’d have would be of Anthony disguised as Garliss.

John’s eyes narrowed. “The one who kept looking at you like a starving man looks at food?”

“What?”

“Please tell me you dropped him off a cliff.”

Rodney rolled his eyes. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t pleased by John’s reaction. “No. I told him to fuck off, and he did. I’ll tell you the rest once we get back to the hotel.”

“The rest? There’s more?”

John looked positively homicidal. Rodney grinned at him.

“Relax. My virtue is intact.”

“Lucky for that asshole,” John grumbled.

When the rest of the team finally converged on base camp, wet and dirty and bedraggled, John and Rodney were both breathless from the most intense bout of kissing Rodney had experienced since he was a teenager.

“Let’s pack it up,” Kyle said.

*o*o*o*

**Personal Interview: Dr. Rodney McKay**

_I don’t want to talk about the science. That hasn’t been part of my life in a long time. I’d rather talk about finding Atlantis._

_[Rodney, we’re asking everyone how they came to_ Mysterious Unknown. _People already know plenty about Atlantis.]_

_Fine. I was staying at a “health spa”, and that’s where I met Ronon. He told me about a job running some tech for a reality TV show, and it seemed like a good distraction from the other stuff that was going on in my life at the time. I had no interest in chasing monsters through the woods, so Kyle put me on base camp duty._

_The work was more interesting than I thought it would be, and a lot more dangerous. I won’t say it was all crap, because I did have my share of questionable encounters over the years, but I also almost drowned, I was bitten by a poisonous spider, and some of the wild animals we crossed paths with weren’t very friendly._

_Meeting John through the show was unlikely and unexpected. So I suppose I owe Kyle and the show a measure of gratitude for bringing the two of us together._

_[Now that you’ve conquered Atlantis, what’s next for you?]_

_How should I know? I haven’t been able to anticipate any of the twists and turns my life has taken. Maybe John and I will solve the remaining clues in The Secret. Or find Fenn’s fortune. I have no idea. Maybe we’ll just take some time to be dads. That’s a pretty good adventure too._

*o*o*o*

The following day they had a big party in one of the hotel’s conference rooms. Woolsey had outside cameramen there, so John and Evan could relax, and there were lots of little arts and crafts stations and a giant vat of Legos for the kids to play with.

Arianna, who’d been so shy the first day, was running around with her cousins and Kyle’s boys like they were old friends. It gave Rodney complicated feelings, which he mostly tried to drown at the baked potato bar.

“You see that?” Evan asked, tipping his head at where Laura and Carson were standing and talking to Kyle and Derek.

They were holding hands.

“How’s that going to work when he goes home?” Rodney asked.

“Love finds a way,” Evan replied without a trace of irony.

The second biggest news from the previous night’s investigation, after Garliss had been revealed as a fake, was that Laura and Carson had seen the Bigfoot, up close and personal. Maybe. Kyle was beside himself that they hadn’t gotten the creature on camera. He was only slightly mollified by the really good casting Laura had gotten of what looked almost like a very big foot.

Rodney was sure it had been a bear. There were bears in Utah, weren’t there?

Evan moved off and Amelia took his spot at the potato bar.

“You put much more on that potato and it’s going to collapse,” she said with a grin. “The kids had a real ball with that treasure hunt yesterday. That was a great idea.”

“Oh, well. Thanks. They seem to have bonded over it.”

The kids were currently trying to build a giant robot out of Legos. Erin, Madison, and Caitlin, who were the oldest, were doing their best to keep everyone on task.

“They sure did. Arianna’s going to be quite the little treasure hunter when she gets older.”

“I can think of worse things,” Rodney said. 

He took his overloaded potato back to his table and started cutting it up. It didn’t take long for John to join him, picking bacon pieces off his plate.

“What’s on your mind, Rodney?” he asked. Because he always seemed to know when Rodney had something on his mind. 

“Arianna.”

“Yeah. She looks like she’s really having fun.” John favored his daughter with an affectionate smile.

“Maybe…Maybe we should think about moving back to San Francisco,” Rodney said. “Part time.”

That got him all of John’s attention. “What brought that on? I thought you loved Malta.”

“I do! I really do. But seeing Arianna with the other kids…I don’t want her to miss out on that.”

Now John’s affectionate smile was aimed in his direction. “I don’t want her missing that either. What were you thinking? Six months there, six months back here?”

“For a start. We can see how it goes. I don’t want her to lose a connection to the place she was born, either.”

“You’re a really good dad, you know.” John leaned over and gave Rodney a kiss.

They hadn’t found Bigfoot – probably – but Rodney had rediscovered something much more important: his big, messy, imperfect extended family.

*o*o*o*

**Personal Interview: Kyle Dorsey**

Mysterious Unknown _came to me at just the right time in my life. I had a degree in archaeology, but I was working at a big box store. It wasn’t fulfilling. I needed a change, so my buddy Carl and I took a trip to the mid-East. That’s where I met Teyla, at a dig in Palestine. It was love at first sight for me, but she needed some convincing. And then I got a call from the network about hosting a reality TV show that focused on hunting cryptids. When they told me all the travel that would be involved, I immediately agreed. It’s a miracle that I got Teyla to agree to join me on that journey, but she did._

_MU changed my life, for the better. I’ve been all over the world and had the good fortune to experience new cultures with the best team on any show. I’ve made lifelong friends, my passport is full, but more importantly my life is full. I have a beautiful wife, three amazing boys, and an international network of friends and family I can count on in any situation._

_My new show,_ Wonders of History, _allows me to continue my travels, sometimes with my family along for the ride, and I also get to indulge in archaeological digs and some pretty amazing historical discoveries. I’m living my best life right now, and that all started with_ Mysterious Unknown.

_I want to say thank you to all the MU fans out there who supported our show and made it so successful. If we entertained you and brought a measure of happiness to your life when you watched our show, that’s the best anyone can ask for._

_Never stop searching for the truth!_

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** I thought I was done with this series, I really did. No plans for any further installments. Then I started re-watching _Destination Truth_ and suddenly thought…what about a reunion?
> 
> In the title card, the role of Kyle Dorsey is played by Josh Gates. And the role of Tran Nguyen is played by Johnny Trí Nguyễn. Everyone else portrayed by the original actors from the series.
> 
> Anthony Bliss-Tregarth is an original character, the hypothetical offspring of Elizabeth Peters characters Vicky Bliss and John Tregarth (he first showed up in [Afreet in the Valley of the Kings](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5089463)). In the book series, John was an infamous art thief and Vicky was the art historian that was always trying to get him to do the right thing. Also, it was intimated that John was related to a character from the author’s Amelia Peabody novels, specifically the one that was a thief but also good at the art of disguise. All of which you probably didn’t need to know but made him super fun for me to write. ::grins::


End file.
